Description
wpa_supplicant 0.4.0 through 2.5 does not reject \n and \r characters in passphrase parameters, which allows local users to trigger arbitrary library loading and consequently gain privileges, or cause a denial of service (daemon outage), via a crafted (1) SET, (2) SET_CRED, or (3) SET_NETWORK command.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | wpa | 2.3-2.4 | — |
| Debian 13 | wpa | 2.3-2.4 | — |
| Debian 12 | wpa | 2.3-2.4 | — |
| Debian 7 | wpa | 1.0-3+deb7u4 | DLA-473-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | wpa | 2.4-0ubuntu10 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | wpa | 2.4-0ubuntu6.2 | USN-3455-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | wpa | 2.1-0ubuntu1.5 | USN-3455-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | wpa_supplicant | 2.6-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10499-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.4 | wpa_supplicant | 2.5-r3 | — |
Advisories 3
- DLA-473-1 wpa - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-3455-1 wpa vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10499-1 wpa_supplicant-2.6-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026